When selecting a sports flooring it’s crucial to assess a surface material based its distinguishing characteristics. The ASTM F2772 standards can help you with this aspect, since they provide a guide on how to evaluate different flooring types for athletics and sports. It defines four factors that influence suitability for different sporting activities as well as safety;
Each of these factors can affect which sports flooring is best for your needs. The ASTM F2772 can be used to asses Point-Elastic, Area-Elastic, and Combi-elastic flooring systems…
A soft flooring surface that’s flexible and compresses in an area that’s related to load size.
A flooring surface that’s flexible and has a wider spread of area deformation.
These floorings have a point-elastic surface combined with area-elastic floors. At the surface level, deformation is relational to the load’s area size. However the overall deformation area will be wider on the layer where load is distributed.
Shock absorption or ‘force reduction’ evaluates a surface’s ability to decrease the impact force. This is mainly related to impact forces that are generated by lower limbs (such as running motions). Force reduction will usually be assessed based on ATSM F2569 and indicate the degree to which a surface attenuates when responding to specific movements. ASTM F2772 organizes the degrees to which a force is reduced into five classes, which help determine the most suitable level in relation to specific sporting activities. ASTM F2772 also provides a 10% minimum value for any flooring designed for physical recreation or indoor athletics.
The surface finish effect relates to the response of a surface to a foot that is sliding, usually measured in dry conditions. This is evaluated using ASTM E303 and involves two parameters;
The apparatus used to asses ASTM F2772 must be repeatable, reliable, and easily portable (in case field tests are required).
Ball rebound or bounce assesses how a ball responds and interacts with a surface. It’s is a mechanics-related property which determines a flooring surface’s appropriateness for basketball. ASTM F2117 is used to evaluate it and involves two parameters:
A vertical deformation value indicates the capacity of a flooring surface to deform when under a load. A strong or high deformation could affect athlete safety by causing the foot to become unstable, whereas a low defamation may lead to injuries due to the force of impact. There are testing and specific parameters that demonstrate acceptable results based on each flooring type specifically (point-elastic, area-elastic, and combi-elastic).
Before the ASTM F2772 was introduced, most sports floors were designed and manufactured in line with European standards. However these standards were based on sports and activities which were more popular in Europe than North America. The ASTM F2772 was designed to address the requirements of sports in North America specifically, which means it’s the most relevant and appropriate standard for use in the United States. If you’d like to download and review the complete ASTM F2722-11 guidelines then visit www.astm.org or get in touch with our team with any questions.
